How do you know when it’s time to go? 

I’d love to walk you through how I thought about leaving, a mistake I almost made, and what eventually tipped the decision.

Before I suggest an answer, let’s consider what’s causing some of our work-related crises.

The Great Resignation is alive and well.

Following a year of little to no employee movement by choice, several categories of employee change have dramatically affected organizations in 2021.

As an employee or staff member, the crisis caused a new version of introspection. We began searching for a purpose beyond a paycheck. As we evaluated our work-life, too many of us only found purposelessness. At least on the surface.

So, should you stay or should you go? 

Some may suggest it’s time to go when you don’t feel fulfilled. Fulfillment is a direct indicator of purpose. A misunderstanding of purpose can lead to decisions made from a place of misinformation.

Your Personal Search for Purpose

Any crisis has a way of creating focus. For many people, the 2020 experience served as a reminder of what matters. What is important to you differs from what matters to your neighbor, but the felt tension is the same. This search for purpose caused many in the workforce to feel their current roles were purposeless, leading to an organizational departure in search of something better.

This search for purpose partially gave way to the Great Resignation.

If you are an organizational leader of any kind (CEO, President, Pastor, Department Director, etc.), the Great Resignation is creating havoc. We’ll revisit this issue in another conversation.

For now, let’s consider our jobs and our purpose. Here is the question I’d love to address:

How to know when it’s time to go?

If you are an employee, you are evaluating, have recently assessed, or are about to consider your purpose within the context of your job. How you define purpose will determine the outcome of your introspection.

Several years ago, I contemplated changing jobs. I was employed at Woodstock City Church as the Lead Pastor. To suggest working as a pastor is without purpose sounds heretical! But I wasn’t finding fulfillment. Fulfillment is critical, as it’s the fruit of purpose. I wasn’t feeling satisfied. I knew it was time to go.

I met with a friend and mentor who is a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company. I approached our meeting with the full expectation he would confirm my desire to move on (and perhaps offer me a job). I was more interested in where to go, not if I should go. That decision felt clear.

We met over lunch. It was a providential hour to say the least. During our conversation, he suggested I read a book, “Orbiting the Giant Hairball,” by Gordon MacKenzie. The title alone intrigued my interest. Let me suggest that you pick up a copy and read this, too.

Not to spoil the ending, but here’s what I ascertained about my job, purpose, and fulfillment:

It’s time to go when you are no longer a benefit to the organization, and the organization is no longer benefiting you.

Let me unpack both sides of this idea.

Are You a Benefit to Your Organization?

You are unique. You have a unique set of passions, capabilities, core competencies, and skills. The longer you’re alive, the more you’re able to define and refine these core elements of yourself. If you can still provide support to your organization from your core competencies, you should consider staying. This is certainly not the only evaluation criteria, but this is an essential piece of the decision pie.

Providing benefit from your core competencies is the secret, though. I’m confident your work is helping the organization, but is your work coming from a place of unique purpose and fulfillment? That’s the question. If the work you do compels the use of your core competencies and supports the organization’s success, consider staying. If you contribute to the organization, but from a place outside of your passion, capabilities, skills, and core competencies, it could be time to go — if you aren’t benefiting from the organization.

Is the Organization a Benefit to You?

And I don’t mean by way of a paycheck. We’re seeking purpose beyond a paycheck.

Your personal benefit is the other side of the “should I stay or should I go” conversation. When the company hired you, your employer expected your work to contribute to the organization. That’s fair, and it’s why you receive a paycheck. What I want you to consider is how (or if) the organization is contributing to you. Are you growing? Are you encouraged to learn and try new things? Does the organization facilitate movement toward your future? Or, is the organization providing benefit to those around you? If you have a family, are they benefiting from your employment? Is the organization providing a flexibility that benefits you and those around you?

If the organization is a benefit to you, staying may be warranted.

The Power of Purpose from a Mutually Beneficial Relationship

Organizationally speaking, we find purpose and fulfillment when we provide benefit to and receive benefit from an organization. A mutually beneficial relationship is what we seek. When that’s in place, we can thrive. When one side benefits, we can survive for a season. When both benefits are gone, it’s time to go.

That’s the power of a mutually beneficial relationship. When you and the organization benefit, you find job purpose and fulfillment.

Why I Initially Stayed at Woodstock City Church… And Why I Eventually Left.

I walked away from my mentor lunch with much to ponder and a book to read. I concluded that while my church role wasn’t consistently allowing me to work from my specific core competencies, I was still adding value to the church and the overall organization. Equally important, the organization was still providing value to me. Two years later, the organization supported me as I pursued a doctorate. I was allowed to coach leaders, consult with organizations, and preach at other churches on the side. The list of personal benefits goes on and on. I was growing as a leader, and that was a clear benefit.

In this moment, staying at Woodstock City Church was mutually beneficial. Even though I was partially utilizing my unique capabilities, my presence was helpful to Woodstock City Church and North Point Ministries. More, North Point Ministries was benefiting me.

Eventually, though, the benefits on both sides waned. Our church and the larger organization moved away from where I was moving. The details aren’t relevant, but the point is simple: My core competencies were no longer as necessary in my role; therefore, I ceased to provide full benefit to the organization. This is important. The organization would have benefited from my staying in the position. Still, I would no longer operate from my unique gifting in the organization, which means the organizational benefit would not be maximized.

At the same time, I was no longer benefiting from the organization. After more than a decade in the role, I needed a new challenge. My time in the organization was phenomenally beneficial, but that season was ending.

I was no longer maximizing my benefit to the organization, and the organization had given me all it had to offer.

That’s when it’s time to go.

Conclusion: How do you know when it’s time to go?

It’s time to go when you no longer benefit the organization from your core competencies and when the organization has given you all it can.

When you find yourself contemplating your work future, here are your options:

STAY WHEN: If the organization benefits from your core competencies and you benefit from the organization, stay and thrive.

PAY ATTENTION WHEN: When the benefits are equally mutual, stay and survive for a season.

LEAVE WHEN: When neither you nor the organization benefit, it’s time to go.

How can I help?

Partnering with ministry and marketplace leaders from innovation through implementation is why I created Transformation Solutions. I’m dedicating my time to helping leaders like you discover potential problems, design strategic solutions, and deliver the preferable future.

Go right now to mytransformationsolutions.com and sign up for a free, 15-minute conversation to decide if working together works for you.